A Snowy Winter Evening
by BobHasRainbowVeins
Summary: Antonio is just your average guy, living your average life. That is, until one evening he encounters two brothers, out collecting money donations. He would never guess that one simple encounter would change his life forever... May later be rated 'M'
1. The Beginning

_I…I guess I have a lot of things to say. But before I go into great detail, let me fill you in with a memory from the past. A memory that clings to the back of my mind and always comes back and reminds me of that time... It's amazing how one simple meeting, if you could even call it that, could change how I view the world, and change my entire life…_

**OO**

It was a very cold day, snow covered the ground, and a breeze only added to the chill outside. Of course, I was lucky. I was inside my nice, warm house, and not a single flake of snow was going to get in there. I wasn't doing much, perhaps contemplating life, when my doorbell rang. My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, and I have been told that I am one of the nicest people you could ever meet. With that being said, I always take care to answer the door every time someone is at it because that means that someone wants something with me, and I want to try to be polite.

So, I got up from my comfortable chair and went to my front door, though I was in no hurry. When I got to the door, I opened it slowly and peaked out of the glass to see who it was. I was rather surprised when I found two boys, probably older than they looked, both with chocolate brown hair and cheeks rosy from the cold. They both had a curl protruding from their hair, although their curls were on opposite sides.

Could they be siblings? They were probably twins… but I think it would be weird for me to ask them that out of the blue, I don't even know them!

…Anyways. One of the boys, the shorter of the two with lighter hair, fairer skin, and bright chestnut colored eyes, held a jar in his mitten-covered hands. I opened the door and greeted them both politely, though I, for some reason, could not take my eyes off the other boy, who was doing nothing in particular. He seemed rather stand-offish and shy. Well, shy didn't seem to be the right word.

"Hello, how can I help you two today?" I said, flashing them both a charming smile.

"Hi! We're going around a few neighborhoods collecting donations for those who are less fortunate than others this cold winter season! Would you be willing to donate some money into this jar~?" the cheery boy shook the jar and smiled back.

I couldn't believe how cute he was! So, I reached into my wallet and managed to donate a good $175 to them and their cause. Mr. Brown-eyes was ecstatic over the large amount of money, while his _brother?_ eyed the jar, looked at me, and looked away again. There was something about him that just caught my eye. His skin was slightly darker than the other's, and so was his hair. His eyes were green, but if one looked close enough, they were hazel. There were so many emotions in those deep eyes of his too. Well, I guess I figured out something about him. He was quiet, but there was so much going on inside of him.

_I want to get to know him….no! Not just him! His…err, 'brother'… too!_

I didn't act on that. Once they got their money, Mr. Brown-eyes thanked me several times and they left. I waved to them and wished them a nice day. Things like this happen every day, right? But still, I am stuck on that boy…

..

_What is this feeling?_

..

..

_I haven't felt like this in a long time…_

..

..

..

_It's the first time I've ever seen him, and yet he makes my heart flutter in my chest…_

**OO**

After that, I can remember how badly I wanted to slam the door shut and run to the phone. Get my phone and dial the number I've called too many times, talk to one of my best friends, Francis. Tell him how I had fallen in love with a boy I just saw. But I could just hear how he would respond, how comical it would be to him.

_"..o-oh..is that s-so..kuhkuh…Mon amour, this is just sad~! "_

I didn't want to be a fool in his eyes, well, any more of one than I already was.

And that was that.

* * *

><p>Lalala. c: Thank you for reading, if you read this. I will update soon~<p> 


	2. Mr Grumpy Returns

It's been almost an entire year since the two of them came to my door. The cold season has come around again and it is the midst of November. What's odd is I feel that it is going to snow soon…The first day of snow will come early. I've never really liked cold weather, probably because I am more of an outside person. Plus, when it's cold, I cannot grow my lovely tomatoes! And wherever I go, none of the tomatoes are ripe! It is a crime to sell such pink tomatoes, a crime I tell you!

…Moving on, I have to say, I wish that last year would come back to me. Since then, the economy here has taken a turn for the worst and all of my money has seemingly flown out the window. I wouldn't say that I am poor, but… working at a Fresh Food Market as a cashier somehow gets me by. Why would I work such a job? I see it this way; if I am going to work, why not work around something I love! And I get discounts too~!

As I was saying, the weather remained cold outdoors, and of course, I stayed inside. I sat in my recliner, as a normally do, and watched some boring daytime television. But, that was all before I heard someone knock at my door. This irritated me slightly, I was not in the mood for dealing with people, so I got up and reluctantly shuffled to the front of my house. I would talk to whomever wanted me, politely tell them I did not want anything to do with them, and then bid them farewell; simple as that. But when I opened my front door to see who it was, my plans were all washed away.

I could only gape at the person I found before me. It was a boy, and not just any boy, but—him. Mr Brown-Eyes' _'brother'_. My heart immediately jumped into my throat and for a moment, no words would come out. Just like before, he stood there with those same cheeks, rosy from the cold once again, and his gaze focusing on the siding of my house, rather than on me. One thing I did notice, though, was that he held the money-collecting jar, and Mr. Brown-Eyes was nowhere to be seen.

After recovering from my shock, I smiled and waved to him. "Oh, hey~! I remember you from last year, though, you seem so lonely without your brother, he couldn't come this time, I suppose?" I even dared to call Mr. B-E his brother. From his reaction, I'd say I was right all along about them being brothers. Knowing that, I was pleased. "So, what cause do I owe the honor of donating to this time?" I remained cheerful, but my happiness faltered when he hesitated before answering, and chose to stare at the ground for many long moments.

The boy sighed and spoke, breaking the icy silence. "I-it's for my brother's treatment."

I stared at him, dumbfounded, before smiling once again and tilting my head to the side. "Oh, treatment, you say? What kinda treatment~?"

Thinking back, I really wish I hadn't asked that.

He shuffled his feet and muttered his words quickly, snapping his head to the side, as if something disturbing lay at his feet and he could not bear to look at it. "…I am collecting money for my brother's cancer treatment."

The ground beneath me vanished, or at least it felt like it did, and my blood ran cold. To think that the same boy that was so cute and enthusiastic was now sick with a disease that could kill him. It just did not seem possible. Even if I didn't know him, I knew that he did not deserve to be stuck in a bed with sickness. Things like this make me angry. Angry at the world, angry at God, for letting things like this happen. But, as everyone always says, '_it is just a natural part of life; no matter what, no one is to blame, and it can't be helped_.'

"Oh…" I said, contemplating what to say next on the fragile topic. "Well, I am really sorry to hear that. He seemed so joyful, like a little kid, when I saw him last year. For something like this to happen, it's just plain terribl-"

"He doesn't need your pity, and we certainly don't want it." I was cut off as Mr. Grumpy (I couldn't think of something creative to call him!) snapped at me suddenly. I was taken aback, but understood his frustration. "Look, if you can, then donate. If you can't donate, then just say so and I'll leave already. This has nothing to do with you and we can handle it on our own."

I refused to let our conversation end without finding out more about this boy and his brother, so I thought up something clever. "Alright, well, I am actually really tight on money this year, but let me see if I can't get you some- oh, but while I do that, why not come inside? I'll make you some hot cocoa…"

I thought I had him after offering to get him a delectable drink, but he shook his head, looking annoyed. "No, just get the money and I'll leave."

_Two can play at this game._ "Look at you! You aren't even dressed properly. I am just doing this for you out of the kindness of my heart, and I would not be able to live with myself if it was my fault for you getting frostbite. You look freezing already! I won't keep you that long, but please, just rest for a bit."

That was the first time he looked at me, and I mean straight at me, into my eyes. Hazel on green, something seemed to click in his head and he relaxed and gave in. He knew that I wanted to know more about them, that after finding out his brother has cancer, I wouldn't just let him go like that. Finally, he bowed his head a bit and looked back at me again. "Fine, fine."

For now, I will even disregard the '_persistent bastard_' that he murmured under his breath.


	3. Some Nice Hot Chocolate

Mr. Grumpy waited rather impatiently as I heated water and mixed in the chocolate. Once we both had our mugs, I led him into my living room and offered him a seat on my couch. He hesitantly obliged and I sat down next to him.

"So… about my brother? I assume that's why you insisted I come inside. I have never met such a curious stranger, but hey, everyone_** loves**_ Veneciano!" the boy growled, sounding bitter.

I was surprised that he did not speak highly of his brother; perhaps he was just jealous, a little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone, right? I decided to ignore his tone and replied back to him. "Ah, so his name is Veneciano? Are you two Italian?"

He nodded and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, you caught us there. We are as Italian as they can get… but what you said, that's just another name he goes by; it's kind of like a middle name. His actual name is Feliciano."

"Feliciano? Oh, how cute! If I see him again, I think I'll call him 'Feli'!" I couldn't help myself as I suddenly burst out with unnecessary excitement.

The boy's face turned sour and his mood foul. I hadn't meant to upset him, but it was obvious that I did; he tried vainly to hide his emotions. I thought it'd be best to change the subject.

"So, what can I call you, Mr. Feliciano's brother?" I knew that calling him by such an absurd would only make him angrier, but I would rather not call him 'Mr. Grumpy' to his face.

He was taken aback by the fact that I actually asked him about himself; that concerned me. "My name? Heh, I'm Lovino. Lovino Vargas. Get that in your head, you hear? Personally I think my name is cooler than my brother's! And my 'middle name' is cooler than 'Veneciano'! It's 'Romano'. How do you like that?" For a moment, I saw a boy that wanted to be known for himself, someone who was always hidden in the depths of his brother's shadow.

I blinked at him and smiled as if I hadn't noticed anything. "Ah, yes, that is a very interesting name! Lovino...Lovino… I like it!" I wasn't lying either. In all actuality, I was quite pleased to finally know his name and more about him.

My thoughts were interrupted as Lovino snapped at me.

"Yeah? W-what about you, bastard? What am I supposed to call you…!"

I could almost cry! His face was so heavily adorned with a blush and he looked so _shy_! His curl was even quivering! So _**cute**_!

Well, that was me on the inside anyways. On the outside, I contained myself and just smiled at him. "Ah, yes. I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo—just call me Antonio though~!" I felt slightly embarrassed for blurting out my entire name, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Sounds Spanish…it's a nice name though. Hmmm…"

By now, our mugs were empty and sitting on my coffee table. I wished Lovi (he is Lovi in my head, but I fear that he would murder me if I called him that to his face!) could stay longer, but he was starting to become agitated and uncomfortable.

"Ok, Lovino, let me see if I can't get you some money and send you on your way," I offered with a gentle smile, taking the mugs with me to the kitchen. I set them in the sink and grabbed my wallet from the counter. All I had were two $10's and a $5; there was always the option of writing a check, but my bank account had nothing more to offer. I quickly grabbed the money and shoved my wallet into my pocket before picking up a pen and a notepad. With $25 in one hand and a paper in the other, I met my guest at the front door. The cash slid through the slit in the lid of the jar and I handed him the note.

"Err…" I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed. "I only had $25, hopefully that's not too disappointing, ahaha….I'm actually pretty poor right now...—oh! Check out the paper I gave you~!"

On the small white sheet, there was a lot of names and addresses; Francis, Gilbert, Roderich—the list went on and on.

"Those are a few good friends of mine. Visit them and tell them I sent you, you should be able to get a lot more money."

The Vargas brother's eyes widened and the smallest of smiles appeared on his face. That was, until, he spotted my name and number at the bottom of the paper. His heated gaze nearly set me on fire and I laughed nervously. "I hope you don't mind… I'd like to visit you and your brother sometime. That shouldn't be too terrible of me, right?" My nervous speech seemed to calm him down and he sighed.

"Alright, that sounds ok. My brother is doing better than usual so he's at home; I guess I'll call you soon then." With that, he was off. I waved as he walked away, but he didn't look back, nor did he acknowledge me.

_But that that was ok,_

_Because he's cute._


	4. The Arguing Duo

3 days.

It took 3 days before I heard my house phone ring. I sprinted to the receiver and examined the number that popped up. Though it was strange and unfamiliar, I was hopeful that the person on the other end of the phone would be Lovino.

"Hola. Antonio speaking~?" Wrong. I sounded so stiff and boring. Of all the things I considered saying, my usual introduction just slipped out.

For a few heartbeats, the other line remained silent. "…erm, hello?"

My heart skipped a beat as the awkward voice spoke in my ear. Yes, it was him alright. Awkward, embarrassing, shy. I knew him so well, and yet, I hardly knew him at all. Just from hearing his voice, I got excited and happy, any other person would probably tell me that I'm ridiculous. (I know they are just jealous of me and my nice looking Spanish ass~)

"Lovi—…no!" I just caught myself as I nearly called him 'Lovi'. I had a feeling I would deeply regret it if he ever heard me call him that…

He paused again, and I began to worry that something was wrong. No, maybe he was just shy on the phone, is all… My thoughts were interrupted as voices suddenly sprang to life.

"...Fratello, can I—

-what did I just tell you, _bastardo_! Get back into bed, and do so before I pick you up and /pitch/ you at that damn bed!—

-B-but fratello! I want to—

-I said _no_! –

-Wahhhhhh, ok, ok..hey- don't push me- Roma, don't PUSH ME!** ACK-**"

The line because silent again before there was a clack as someone picked the phone back up.

"…hello? Are you still there?"

He was talking to me directly again, and I felt my heart skip a beat. "Hmmm-hmmm~ I'm still here. That was actually quite interesting to listen to, I'll have you know," I said, chuckling to myself.

I could hear him shift on the other line and exhale a breath that he had apparently been holding back. "Haha…yeah. Feliciano said he wanted to talk to you and he got out of bed, which is something that I specifically told him _not_ to do. Now, hopefully he'll stay there."

"Sounds like fun," I replied, grinning enthusiastically. "So, what'd you need?"

"Right. Feliciano wants you to come over so he can 'get to know you better', shit like that. Let me give you directions and you can just drive over here."

_He has quite the sailor's mouth_, I thought to myself with a smile. I knew that he didn't mean any bad will by it, though. He was pushy, too. I hadn't even told him if I was free and he was already demanding I go over to his place. "Hang on, let me get my notepad here… ok, where do you live, and how do I get there?"

**OOO**

I arrived at the Vargas residence nearly an hour later, after making many wrong turns. Now, when I say that this house is old, I mean this house is _old_. Some of the paint was peeling off on the sides of the house, and the architecture was very outdated in style. When I rang the doorbell, it sounded new, unlike anything else. Voices rose from inside the building.

"He's here, he's here! –

- I told you, Feliciano, go sit down! I'll bring him to you."

This time, there was little objection. When Lovino opened the door, he had an irritated expression on his face and wouldn't look me in the eye—though I've noticed that he _never_ looks me in the eye! …Not that I am really concerned about that or anything, it just strikes me as curious…

Anyways, he let me into his house and showed me to his living room, where his brother waited eagerly on the couch. I had barely stepped into the small room when the sick boy flung himself at me. I was taken aback for a moment before I hauled him off of his feet into a big hug. Feliciano squealed happily as a result.

After our short moment, I set him down and put both of my hands on his shoulders, observing the face in front of me. Two large chocolate brown eyes stared at me curiously, and I felt the tiniest of smiles creep onto my face. "Hmmm, look at you! You're as adorable as your brother~! –oh, but don't tell him I said that."

Feliciano opened his mouth, about to say something, when, speak of the devil, his brother interrupted him. "I am right here, bastard. I can _hear_ you."

"Oops..w-well, you two are both cute…hahaha…" I lifted a hand to rub the back of my neck nervously, not daring to turn around.

Surprisingly, Lovino didn't come and kill me. Instead, he insisted I get my hand off of his brother and we sit down, of course we were both happy to oblige. After seating ourselves, Feliciano and I talked. And talked. And talked. I learned much about him and his brother; they were very interesting people. I learned things like that their house is very old, and that their Grandfather left it to Feli. I also learned that Feliciano is much more into cultural things like music and the arts than Lovino. Learning about him made me sad, though. It would be such a shame for the world to lose such a talented person to cancer. I simply won't allow it…though it's not like there is anything I can really do to prevent it…

"Well," Lovino stood up from the couch after our conversation ended, heading out of the room. "I think I'll go make something for lunch. Is there anything in particular that you want, Feliciano?"

Before he could answer, I interrupted him. "—oh! Actually, could I make something? On the way here I got the greatest idea for a dish, and since you two are real Italian, I know you'll love it! Would that be alright? I'm sure you'd have the ingredients I'd need."

Lovino stared at me as if I had just asked him to make out with me or something. "What? Why would I let _you_ cook? For all I know, you could be a _terrible_ cook! And besides, you are our guest, so you don't have to cook for us at our own house." There was an edge in his tone, but I chose to ignore it.

I stood up and strolled past him, shaking my head. "No, no, I insist! I am pretty good when it comes to cooking and I think that what I'll make will taste delicious, I know you'll both enjoy it! But think of it as my special treat for the sickling, alright?" Sickling, look at me, making up words. But somehow, I magically seemed to have convinced him.

When I listed the ingredients I needed, he seemed surprised, but set them all out for me, leaving the kitchen after I thanked him and sent him off. It was then that I made magic in the kitchen, slicing and dicing tomatoes, throwing spices here and there, and creating a very fragrant aroma.

Within 2 hours, the preparations were done and I called the brothers into the kitchen. I already had bowls laid out on the table, and they were filled with my beautiful dish; a lovely tomato bisque. I watched them eat, and watched them both fall in love with my cooking. I could only grin as Lovino's eyes grew huge, the meal way above his expectations.

When I got around to asking how they liked it, their bowls were empty and no seconds were asked for.

"Veehh…that was so good, Toni~ You should teach fratello how to make that! -

-Hey! Are you saying that you don't like my cooking! –

- No, big brother, I wasn't saying that at all. You have to admit that the basil with the tomatoes was just so perfect, though! –

- …ok, I admit it. That was one of the best tomato-based meals that I have had in a long time."

Their arguments could go on for hours and eventually get annoying, but somehow their praises were something that I felt I would never grow tired of.

* * *

><p>Wow I don't make very many comments down here, do I? Hmm, I finally updated the story. Woot. ANYWHO<p>

I will mention that I may be starting either a Nordic-based story (Mostly focusing on DenNor, Denmark as the main character for the most part) **OR **a Gauken Hetalia fanfiction revolving around America. The ideas may not really sound interesting, but that is because I didn't tell you all of what they are about. But, ah, that's a secret! I guess you'll just have to wait and see, readers~


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